Seth Meyers coming to Manchester's Palace Theatre for fundraiser

Honoree and television personality Seth Meyers arrives with his wife, Alexi Ashe, at the Time 100 gala celebrating the magazine's naming of the 100 most influential people in the world for the past year in New York April 29. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

MANCHESTER — Seth Meyers, a former Bedford resident and the host of NBC’s “Late Night,’’ will perform at the Palace Theatre next month for a $100-a-seat fundraiser for the downtown theater.

Meyers, named by Time magazine recently as one of the world’s 100 most influential persons, agreed to do the show after prodding by his former principal, Bob Baines, who is part of a steering committee for the Palace Theatre centennial.

“It didn’t surprise me he’d come back and do something for his hometown,” Baines said. Baines said he ran into Meyers’ father recently, and between the two of them, they nailed down the date Saturday, June 7.

Baines said he remembers Meyers as a serious student and competitive runner on the Manchester High School West track team. “When he wasn’t competing, he had a book in front of him,” Baines said.

Meyers graduated in 1992. He joined “Saturday Night Live’’ in 2001 and did 13 seasons, before taking over the “Late Night’’ slot in February.

Emails went out to Palace VIPs on Monday, giving them first dibs at tickets and a special $150 ticket that includes orchestra seating and a post-show reception with Meyers.

Members of the theatre’s 48,000-member email club get a chance to buy tickets starting Wednesday. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday.

Palace Theatre President Peter Ramsey said a standard Meyers show runs about 90 minutes, but any other details are up to Meyers.

Baines said he will introduce Meyers.

“I’ve been trying to search the disciplinary records,” he joked, “and I can’t find anything.”